A variety of wrenches and tools are commonly used to apply torque to a workpiece, such as a threaded fastener, to remove the workpiece from engagement with a corresponding structure or device. The workpiece may have any number of different sizes and shapes. Accordingly, many tools include a driver which mates with one or more of different adapters, such as sockets, to engage and rotate the different-sized workpieces. However, a workpiece can become stripped or damaged by the tool, making it difficult to remove the workpiece.
One tool that can be used to remove a stripped or damaged fastener is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,737,981 to Hildebrand (the “'981 patent”). The '981 patent discloses a removal device that attaches to a ratchet wrench to remove a fastener in a counter-clockwise direction. The removal device of the '981 patent includes tapered, internal threading that engages the fastener to rotate the fastener to remove it. However, the removal device of the '981 patent tends to over travel on the fastener and contact a surface of the structure in which the fastener is installed. The fastener also tends to become lodged or stuck in the removal device of the '981 patent upon removal of the fastener from the structure.